Governor Terry McAuliffe today broke ground on the I-64 Southside Widening and High Rise Bridge Project, the largest design-build project to date for the Virginia Department of Transportation with a contract worth nearly $410 million.

“I am pleased to be here today to break ground on a project that has so long been on the wish list of regional planners and leaders,” saidGovernor McAuliffe. “It is exactly the kind of the success I envisioned when I signed into law the legislation in 2014 that created the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission and our nationally recognized SMART SCALE funding process – two crucial funding sources for this work.”

The project will widen a nearly 9-mile-long portion of I-64 on the Southside with the addition of one HOT/Express Lane in each direction, expanding the corridor from four to six full-time lanes. It will also build a new fixed-span High Rise Bridge to the south of the existing bridge, which will remain in service.

“As a Hampton Roads resident, I know all too well how badly people here need and how long they’ve waited for a new High Rise Bridge and an expanded I-64 corridor on the Southside,” said Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne. “This project will also improve safety and provide a more reliable commute along nearly nine miles of interstate. It’s the latest step in reversing the gridlock from years of inaction and putting Hampton Roads back in the fast lane.”

The Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded a $409.6 million contract to Granite/Parsons/Corman to design and build the project, which extends from 0.6 mile east of I-264 at Bowers Hill to 0.9 mile east of I-464. Completion is scheduled for July 2021.

The project will add capacity to a key evacuation route. In addition to the lane that will be added in each direction, the exterior shoulders between George Washington Highway and Great Bridge Boulevard will be constructed for use as travel lanes as well during peak traffic congestion, providing more capacity for that 3.5-mile stretch.